Results are in for the Illinois Association of REALTORS® recent mobile technology survey and BlackBerry still has a strong lead over iPhone and Android devices for business use (41.2% BlackBerry, 13.2% iPhone and 7.4% Android). In fact, 30.9% of Illinois REALTORS® surveyed say they use a basic mobile phone for their business that has no e-mail or Internet access features like the smartphones.

With all the buzz about smartphones and the iPad, plus the real estate industry’s emphasis on new technology, these numbers could change in the not-so-distant future.  The Nielsen Company’s  2Q10 report found smartphones now have 25 percent of the U.S. mobile market, up from 23 percent in 1Q10 and 16 percent in 2Q09. The company predicts that when 2011 comes to a close, smartphones will overtake the U.S. market.

When asked to rank uses for their mobile device from most important to least important, here’s what Illinois REALTORS® from the survey said:

  • Over 95% ranked phone calls their most important business use. E-mail was next followed by texting and reading content.
  • Using apps, search, taking pictures and viewing images ranked somewhat important.
  • Instant messaging, social networking, listening to audio and viewing videos were ranked least important uses.

What are some mobile apps REALTORS® use for business?

  • Mobile MLS
  • REALTOR.com
  • Zillow
  • Expensify
  • Karl’s Mortgage Calculator
  • Documents To Go
  • DexKnows
  • ShapeWriter
  • Convert
  • Drive Safe.ly
  • Todo List
  • Flashlight
  • Dragon Search
  • Smarter Agent
  • Top Producer
  • HGTVtoGo
  • Google Maps, GPS
  • Weather Channel, Weather Underground